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52 Phonebox Magazine | October 2024Anna gives birth to Sofi a, and one of the fi rst incidents described in detail is the baby%u2019s baptism, with Manolis, Andreas%u2019 cousin, as her godfather, a position of great signifi cance in the Greek Orthodox Church. He and Andreas are very alike physically, both handsome, and it soon becomes clear that Anna prefers him over her husband. They are unaware that their passionate affair has been discovered until tragedy strikes, and Andreas shoots his wife during the celebration to welcome the cured inhabitants of the leper colony to the town. The events of that August night Reviewed by Thelma ShackladyOne August Night by Victoria HislopBest known for her bestseller, %u2018The Island%u2019, Victoria Hislop has written several novels based in Greece before returning to Crete to bring us the sequel to that popular book. The action moves forward to August 1957 when the inhabitants of Spinalonga, cured of leprosy, return to their former home, some cruelly disfi gured, to face the prejudice of those who still fear the once-fatal disease. Among them is Maria, sister of the beautiful but proud and wilful Anna, married to the wealthy Andreas Vandoulakis.destroy the peace of the town, and the rest of the novel traces the lives of those aff ected by the tragedy.Andreas is sentenced to life imprisonment, and Manolis, driven half-mad with grief, leaves Crete for the mainland. Only Maria fi nds happiness, marrying Dr Kyritsis, the man who had worked with those suffering from the dread disease and eventually witnessed their cure. Chapter by chapter, we read how their lives progressed.While the plot of the novel might seem at times overdramatic, the vivid descriptions of the various settings BookshopTel: 01234 714592 | Stanley Court, OlneyBOOK REVIEWillustrate how much the author relates to Crete and to Greece. These enrich the story, as do the customs and practices of those who live there. This is a book to be enjoyed as light reading and appreciated as we acknowledge the skill of the writer.Thelma Shacklady%u2018A return to Hislop%u2019s thyme-scented, Aegean-lappedfi ctional Greece%u2019 The Sunday Times